Star Wars:Space-Pope vs Cyborg Hitler
by paveninteeno7
Summary: Five years after Revenge of the Sith, Barriss Offee and Ahsoka Tano are headed for a collision course with one another.
1. Barriss:Skill

Chapter 1: Hard Path

It wasn't always a battle of wills between the two of them. Barriss Offee, former Padawan of Luminara Unduli, now prisoner of the Jedi Order and Luminara Unduli, disappointed Jedi Master. Before the two would be standing side by side one another. Luminara trying to hide her pride behind a mask of content and Barriss showing her love and admiration for her Master for all to see. Now they were on the opposite sides of a prison cell. Luminara looking at her with shame and betrayal, while Barriss was suppressing as much emotion as possible, behind a mask of neutrality.

"Hello Barriss," Luminara said, trying to keep as even a tone as possible. Even with all that had happened to her Luminara always maintained her poise, even under great pressure.

"Hello Master," Barriss said. They hadn't spoken in days. Luminara had been called back from the frontlines to try and get some answers from her former Padawan. "Should I be thanking you for my current arrangements? Or was it someone else who had the insight to have the Mirialain moved from the heat to a more pleasant colder cell?"

"Why?" Luminara said cutting off any chance of small talk.

"I already gave my reasons in the courtroom. You should already know why," Barriss said, trying her hardest to keep herself as composed as possible. Her Master was always an imposing figure, and standing before her in meagre prison garb while she was the definition of elegance in her traditional robes left her feeling a bit underdressed.

"I need to hear it from you." She said, keeping her voice as even as possible. "Why? How could you fall so far?"

"Fall?" Barriss asked in a mocking tone, turning her head to the side. "Master I'm trying to save the Jedi Order."Before Luminara could get a word in, Barriss cut her off. "After Drongar my faith in the Republic was weakened. How could they have allowed a sociopathic monster like Phow Ji to fight in this war? How could they justify that? Was winning this war so important that they were willing to let monsters like him loose? They glorified a man who took pleasure from war. Who enjoyed the suffering of his victims and made him a war hero for the sake of giving the Republic another brave hero. When my faith in the Republic was almost completely gone, all I had left was my faith in the Jedi; that we were doing what was right. Yet don't you see what this war is doing to the Jedi? We have become a tool for the dark side. They've all lost so much perspective that they don't see what they've become.

Luminara knew this was a trap. She knew her former Padawan was baiting her into asking how she could possibly think that, but the only way she was going to get any information out of her was to let her lead the conversation and hope she'd let slip some crucial detail. "Why do you think we have fallen into the darkness Barriss?" Luminara asked.

"I've spent time outside the Temple. I've spoken to the masses that the Jedi ignore and I could see the hypocrisy of the Jedi. I spoke to the people of the Republic trying to understand the growing hate and resentment they had towards us and what I found wasn't an evil plot by the Separatists but rather normal people voicing reasonable concerns that I couldn't defend with a clear conscience."

"Letta?" Luminara asked.

"Yes, she and others like her. It was because of her I had to ask myself the hard questions I had buried for years ever since the beginning of the war and other doubts I had. When I was confronted with these questions my only answer was that the Jedi have fallen so far we can't even see the light."

"Barriss, why didn't you come to me? Whatever doubts you had I could have helped you see through this confusion. The Jedi might not always do things in the most easy to understand ways, but we always act for the good of others and the Republic. I could have helped you see the light," Luminara said, taking a more softer tone. Why couldn't Barriss come to her for help? She knew they hadn't spent much time together since her promotion to knighthood, but Barriss was still her Padawan. She could still have come to her for aid.

"That is exactly why I didn't turn to you, Master. You and the rest of the Order have become so blinded by your false purity that you can't see what you've become. You've all lost sight of how far you've fallen." Barriss said with utter conviction.

"Barriss, no matter what you think we have done, it does not justify what you've done," Luminara said, taking a more stern tone, trying to retake her control in the conversation. "How can you justify your actions? How can you Justify trying to kill you own friend?"

"That was never my intention." Barriss said, moving closer to the barrier. "Before Master Skywalker had managed to piece together my involvement in the bombing, I was planning to bomb the Temple again to prove that Ahsoka wasn't guilty. Or at the very least prove that she wasn't working alone. Getting them to call a reprieve to the trial and gather more information now that all her known accomplices were dead. However before I could plant the explosives I was apprehended by him."

"I can only assume leading your friend into a trap before brutalizing her was in some way you also trying to help her?" Luminara asked aloud.

Barriss looked at her with utter contempt before she scolded herself for losing control. "I did that with the plan of already clearing her name. Ever since Ahsoka had gotten herself involved in my plans I had to get her off my trail and create a smoke screen so I could operate. Once my message was out there that the people of the Republic hated the Jedi and that we had fallen so far, it would've caused the Council to reflect on its decisions and see what the rest of the Republic and I see."

"So is that how you justify killing over twenty people?" Luminara asked with an edge to her voice. "So you could spread your message through fear and violence? Barriss, what made you think that you could get away with doing this? If you had wanted to make a statement, why couldn't you have asked the Council to listen to you?"

"They would have heard me not listened to me. I'm sure if I had followed the rules I would have been granted five minutes to make my plea to them before they'd of shuffled me off to the side like all the other Jedi who are refusing to fight in the war. I knew what I was going to do was wrong, but I knew that if I didn't act there would be more damage done. They needed to see this and not be able to turn a blind eye to it. My message could not be ignored. Everyone I hurt, everyone I killed, I did it all to try and get them to see. I didn't act because I hated the Order. I did it because I loved the Order and hated what it was becoming."

"Barriss, please listen to me. You've fallen to the dark side. I told you once that the dark side always tempts you with the easy path. The quicker path. That it would feel so very good; so very right to do what was easy rather than endure. The path of the Jedi is one of hardship and discipline. Barriss, you've forgotten my most basic teachings," Luminara said, letting her mask fall for a second. For a moment Barriss saw all the weariness in her Master's eyes.

"You also taught me that questioning my beliefs was always necessary. You and the rest of the Jedi haven't stopped to actually think about what you are doing. There's a reason why people hate the Jedi. You and all the Jedi like you are a mockery of the Jedi code." Luminara looked as if someone had physically struck her as she took a step back. Seizing on the opening, Barriss let loose with another flurry of truth. "We Jedi are peacekeepers and negotiators, but all you've done is spread violence and war, furthering conflict throughout the galaxy. How does that align with Jedi principals? Jedi are supposed to respect and value all life, yet our entire Order is using a slave army to fight a war. How does that align with Jedi teachings? Jedi are to respect others' wills and choices, but we've been acting as conquerors for the Republic, forcibly putting entire star systems into our control. I may be a terrorist, but you're a mass murdering warlord enslaving the galaxy with a slave army, and you won't even admit it!" Barriss screamed at the top of her lungs. She began breathe heavily. Her head began to feel light as she began to pace around her cell, letting it all out. "You don't even see how horrid the entire situation is. I feel as though I'm the only sane person in a mad house. All of you have fallen and you don't even have the clarity to see it. You all want to pretend as if everything is okay, but it's not. The Jedi have become elitists, acting as attack dogs for the powerful, while ordinary people suffer and grow to hate us. And we deserve it." Barriss looked at her Master with disgust in her eyes. Whatever she had been hoping to see wasn't there. Turning away, Barriss muttered something under her breath, "Get out."

"Barriss I-"

"I said, get out!" Barriss shouted again at her former Master.

Luminara said nothing more, rising to her full height she looked at the back of her former Padawan before turning around and heading to the door at the end of the hallway. "Barriss, I'm sorry that the best I could do to teach you wasn't enough," She said, before the doors closed behind her.

One week later.

In.

Out.

In.

Out.

Barriss exhaled as she felt her heart rate steadying. She heard the distant footsteps of the guards pass by her cell and exit the hallway. Her plan was complete, weeks of scheming and studying would soon pay off. It had been ten seconds since her last guard had passed her cell turning the corner and would be another 30 seconds for the next guard to arrive, and another 50 for the one after that. Today was the day. The tremors in the Force had intensified in the last few days. First the siege of Coruscant that rocked the Temple to its core, and now the storm that was raging in the Force. Master Windu was in battle with a powerful Sith. This was her time, when all the Jedi would be distracted sensing the great battle between light and dark to sense her escape from the Temple.

Opening her eyes, she saw the next guard arrive, closing the door behind him. Reaching out with the Force she began to feel the throat of the guard, and began to tighten her hand. The guard clawed helplessly at his own throat, falling to the ground. She reached out with the Force and grabbed the key card on the guard's uniform and swiped it at the scanner. She then drew the guard into the cell while she began to quickly scan his unconscious form looking for his comm and lightsaber.

She scrambled to remove the com device from his body. Weeks of planning still didn't prepare her for the rush of actually succeeding. With a final tug she managed to wrench the device free of the guard's sleeve. Barriss rushed for the door. No doubt the other two guards had felt the disturbance in the Force and had begun to rush to aid their fellow comrade.

Her hands were shaking as the adrenaline flooded her veins. She ran as fast she could, hearing the cries of her fellow inmates and the sound of her own laughter as she made her way down the lower levels of the prison.

Almost as an afterthought, Barriss looked down at her shaking hands, seeing the comm device. She scolded herself for losing focus of what her objectives were. The Temple guards would no doubt expect her to head further up and try and fight her way to the top, but she was smarter than that. Smarter than them.

The hubris of the Jedi was on full display. Did they really think placing her in the building she was going to blow up was really a good idea? Did they really think that one of the smartest Jedi in the Order wouldn't have made a plan in case she was ever caught?

Barriss opened the comm link's display and began to alter the settings on the device from standard Temple guard frequency to the set frequency she needed.

Making her way to the lowest depths of the prison, Barriss transmitted the signal from the comm to her bombs. While not quite shaking the Temple to its foundations, she'd have to settle with being able to get her out of her current predicament in one piece. She braced herself as the explosion crashed into her body causing her bones to vibrate from the shock wave. Covering her eyes and mouth, Barriss leaped into the smoking hole.

Barriss fell for several hundred feet before reaching out to the Force to slow her descent, landing on the city street. While there were a lot of things she detested about the Jedi Temple, she had to admit, having a Temple built on a city world made it really easy to escape. Right now it was a lifesaver. Barriss rushed from the open street into the closest alleyway.

Barriss looked back once at the smoking crater of the Jedi Temple, suppressing her Force signature, before she began to sprint. The battle between Master Windu and the Sith was most likely going to come to an end soon. When it did the Jedi were going to hunt her down in full force.

This wasn't how it was supposed to be. The Jedi shouldn't have thrown Ahsoka to the wolves; they shouldn't have continued on as if nothing had happened, They shouldn't have ignored her and her cause. The Jedi were supposed to see what regular citizens were willing to do because of their war. See that they had become the villains in this war and that they were falling into the darkness. She didn't know if it was from her own emotions or the foul air that was causing her throat to constrict. Tears began to stream down her face as she ran from one alley to the next. Her Master was gone and nobody of importance was around to see her let her emotions loose.

Barriss ran from the alley to a service tunnel that funneled "fresh" air to the people of the lower levels. Barriss braced herself for the rush of air when the hatch opened. Climbing into the dust-covered tunnel, she began to make her way to her backup plan. She might of been a soft spoken Jedi, but that didn't make her any less dangerous. Given enough time to plan, and the resources she needed, she could beat anyone, even Master Yoda. She knew before the first bomb exploded that she could very well be captured, and needed to plan for the eventuality of the Jedi finding out what she did. Originally she had planned for a confrontation, whether or not she could escape the Temple and run away to fight another day. Or be captured and escape the holding cell they would no doubt place her in if they caught her. Either way, she had planned ahead and made the necessary preparations.

Making her way from the filthy lower levels under the Jedi Temple, she ran even further down the tunnel into the depths of Coruscant. It would take the Jedi only a few minutes to discover that she had left the Temple, and it would take them a few more to realize she would be nowhere they would be able to see, forcing them to call for help of the Coruscant security force, and search the holo feeds for any sign of her. By that time they would she'd already be several miles away from them in a place with no holo recorders.

Before she could become too overjoyed with herself, Barriss took a moment to really breathe in the air that was being pumped into the lower levels. If the putrid air under the Jedi Temple was unbearable, then this was criminal. To think the Jedi Order couldn't even keep Coruscant a safe and a liveable place. How could they possibly expect to keep the rest of the galaxy safe? It was just another failing of a horribly ineffectual Order.

Making her way along the tunnel, Barriss spotted her exit; a small three foot ventilation shaft. Barriss peered out to check the coast was clear before leaping down to the mud-filled garbage dump.

Landing less elegantly than she would have liked, Barriss picked herself up from the mud, wiping off what she could from her body. She may have planned this ingenious escape, but it still didn't make it any easier to actually go through with it. Trudging her way through the muck, Barriss strained to lift her legs though the knee-high mud without the Force.

Before her mood could sour any further, Barriss tried to think of something positive. Looking around at her bleak prospects didn't give her much to be happy about. Especially now with a new covered head-to-toe in mud.

At least that's some good news, Barriss thought to herself. Nobody would notice another filthy lowlife in a sea of filthy lowlives just trying to survive.

Barriss walked down the street with the squishing sound of her wet prison shoes filled with muddy water. Barriss didn't run. Running was the surest way to stand out. Her best bet to fit in was to act broken down and jaded, as if life had taken everything away from her, and left her with nothing, but heartache and misery. A part of Barriss found it uncomfortable that she was able to slip into the role of defeated loser so easily.

Barriss rounded the corner to a run-down old building. Pushing past the rusted door, she ran up the stairwell, heading to her home away from the Temple. Thanks to her dearly departed friend and co-conspirator Letta, she had managed to acquire credits to rent this small hovel.

While it stunk of a mixture of foul odors and had a leaky roof, it was more than enough for her to use for the time being. Plus there were some noted benefits to her new home. The constant power outages helped her avoid being caught on holo feeds, giving her a chance to gather supplies. The pests provided her with a fair bit of companionship that would be needed in the coming days, but for now she needed rest.

Barriss woke to the gentle piter patter of tiny feet as she saw the rats scurry, looking for anything edible. Looking around, it seemed to only a be few hours since she had escaped if her wall chrono was to be believed. Barriss slowly stood up and made her way over to the refresher.

The battle between Master Windu and the Sith had ended. By now the investigation would move from searching for her on foot to incorporating some form of wanted posters and informing the local law enforcement to be on the lookout.

Peeling off the mud-stained prison uniform, Barriss entered the refresher hoping the power was on. Luckily for her, the telltale hum of the sonic emitter activated as it removed the filth from her body. While it was nowhere near as good as the feel of the water showers back at the Temple, just being rid of the dirt did wonders for her.

Exiting the refresher, Barriss went to the small crate on the far side of the room. She began to fumble with the lock as she began put the correct input into the lock, unlocking the crate. While she might of planed for the eventuality of being captured, it still didn't leave her with much time gather resources, lest she continue to allow the Jedi to spiral down this dark path. Looking down in her crate, she pulled out a set of spare clothes, her backup lightsaber, a holo device, a box of ration bars, and water, closing the crate before her new roommates help themselves to her food.

After taking the time to clothe and arm herself, Barriss took a moment to appreciate her fashion choices. She wore a very dark outfit with absolutely no colour; black boots, pants, and a jacket with the only reprieve from the black being a white shirt. She reached out to the table and grabbed her piece de resistance; a black respirator to cover her face and tattoos.

Taking a seat against the wall, Barriss placed the holo device on the ground, activating it as she began to eat her breakfast. The protein bar tasted amazing compared to prison food. While the bar was a special kind of horrible, it beat the bland meals the Jedi prison offered. How did an Order that already seemed to never indulge in any form of pleasure seem to come up with blander and blander meals? It was like they were purposefully trying to make sure there was never any overindulgence of any kind in the Temple.

Looking over at the holodevice, Barriss nearly choked when she read the top headline: Jedi Coup Foiled. Scrolling down the page, Barriss read all about this Jedi coup. How could the Jedi do such a thing? She knew that the Jedi Order had lost its way, but to try and overthrow the government?

The feelings of distrust, fear, and betrayal made sense now. It must have been shocking for the Republic now turned Empire to realise that the Jedi were trying to overthrow the Empire.

The Empire; she didn't even know how to feel about that. She had so many questions. Was Palpetine the Sith Lord or was he the puppet of the Sith Lord? Why would the Senate ever decide to become the Empire? Was the Jedi coup the cause of the formation of the Empire?

Barriss continued to read as much news sources as she could, gathering as much information possible. A picture was starting to form in her head, from what she had read and what she had felt in the Force. She was right about the Jedi being tools for the dark side, both literally and metaphorically. The Jedi had found the Sith Lord in control of the war, and tried to assassinate him. Either Palpetine fought them and was horribly scared, or was caught in the crossfire between the two forces. After the battle, he was able to push for a Galactic Empire, and proclaim himself Emperor. And the Sith now ruled the galaxy.

A well of emotions began to swirl around her. On one hand she was elated to know that she was right about the Jedi losing their way and being lead down a path of ruination. She felt a torrent of emotion suturing in her. Never in her life had she been so right and wished to be so wrong.

Why? Why hadn't she acted sooner? If only she had struck out sooner, maybe she could have warned them, she could have saved them. She was the only Jedi to see through the darkness and tried to stop it. It was her fault; if she had acted sooner Ahsoka wouldn't have been able to pursue this mystery. Letta may still have been alive, and she would have been able to save them. She alone could have saved the Jedi. She alone could have saved the Republic. However due to the intervention of Anakin Skywalker, he unintentionally handed the Republic over to the Sith.

As she continued to search for information as to what was happening, reports were coming in that a siege was being launched on the Jedi Temple. Clone troopers were ordered to kill and hunt down the Jedi under a Order 66. Barriss didn't really know what to do. If she went to the Temple, she'd either be shot and killed by the Clone Troopers before she even reached the steps of the Jedi Temple, or if by so miracle in the Force she did manage to make it all the way to the Temple, she might be seen as an enemy combatant and killed by the Jedi

A part of her felt guilty about not trying to help her fellow Jedi, but another part told her it was the will of the Force. The Force wanted her to escape. It wanted her to live. Her Master had told her there was very little coincidence in the universe, and that most things if not all things were done by the will of the Force.

Barriss continued to read when the article was updated and her world was shattered again. Apparently her Master was found with plans to kill the Supreme Chancellor and have the Jedi take over the Republic. This was an obvious lie. Her Master was the most moral and upstanding of the Jedi. There was no way she'd try to overthrow the Republic.

However the last conversation she had with her Master had began to ring in her ears. Wasn't she the one who insisted that she was right? Wasn't she the one pleading with her Master to see what this war was doing to the Order? Wasn't she the one who asked her to question her beliefs? Wasn't she the one to throw her Master's own teachings back at her face?

Her blood began to run cold. She wasn't the saviour of the Jedi. She was their destroyer. She pushed her Master to re-examine her beliefs, which caused her Master to realise she was wrong. Which caused her Master to plead with Master Yoda that she was right, which caused the Jedi to realize they were wrong. Which caused them to question Palpetine and the Senate, causing them to find out that he was either the Sith Lord, or a pawn of the Sith Lord. Leading to her Master and the Council to plot to kill Palpetine and seize power over the Senate while a transition of power could be made.

She didn't know when, but somewhere in her moment of clarity, Barriss had collapsed to the floor on her hands and knees. The room began to spin. Her breathing became laboured as her sight was beginning to blur. Tears began to stream down her face as she cried for the second time in years. The Order was falling, the Jedi were being hunted and her Master was dead because of her. If she had just talked to her Master she could have stopped all this.

Her grand act of rebellion; her symbol of defiance didn't work. All it took to realize they were wrong was opening up to her Master. All she had to do was ask for help.

Barriss fought back tears and calmed her breathing. This was not the end. Steadying herself, she tried to stop her arms from shaking, and raised back onto wobbly legs, placing her back against the wall for support.

The Jedi had listened; they had realised that she was right. They fought the darkness and saw the truth. They had seen the error of their ways and paid the ultimate price, their home in ruins and their legacy in tatters.

No, this was not going to be the end! The legacy of the Jedi was not going to be one of death and destruction. Barriss pushed herself off the wall. A burning desire to help filled her stomach; her mind began to rush, thinking a mile a minute about what she could do. The Temple was a lost cause. There was no way that she'd be able to do anything about that. The Sith Lord too, there was no way she was strong enough to stand against a Sith Lord who defeated four Jedi Masters. Her only option was to gather other Jedi and fight the Empire with them.

If there were any Jedi left, she thought to herself. For any survivors getting out of the Core Worlds and away from any clones would be their first priority. They would most likely be heading to Republic worlds that the war didn't touch or the remote worlds of the Outer Rim. For a second she thought to try and reach out with the Force to see how many Jedi were left, until she realised that the Sith Lord was most likely scanning the Force to see where and if the Jedi were communicating to each other. A sudden rush of dread filled her; never before in her life had the Force been turned so completely against her. Without the aid of the Force, Barriss was going to have to rely on her tracking ability to locate other Jedi. Coruscant was unsafe for her and any other Jedi.

Looking over to her crate, she grabbed a bag from inside, filling it with all the supplies she needed. She may not have had many resources, but what she did have would not fit into her tiny bag.

Barriss grabbed the ration bars and started to devour them one at a time. She didn't really have the luxury of carrying around several boxes of food. She only had so much space in her bag. Filling it with food might be allow her to last a bit longer, but there were more planets with something edible to eat in the wilderness than planets that had drinkable water. She'd just have to load up on calories before heading off-world. Reaching out further into the crate, she pulled out six bottles of water, and placed them into her bag with one box of food bars.

Barriss continued to eat with one hand and pack with the other. Rummaging through her supplies, she took the small pouch of credits and placed several bundles of credits into hidden pockets in her outfit before attaching it to her belt next to her lightsaber.

She glanced down at her hip, her hand gliding along the length of the device. She knew before that if she was ever caught and escaped, she wouldn't be able to go into hiding with her backup lightsaber on full display. It didn't make it easier have to remove the device from her hip and dismantle it into tiny pieces, until it was unrecognisable as a lightsaber.

Barriss looked into the crate for the extra pouch looking for the shielding pouch for her crystal, placing it into the pouch before throwing it and the remains of her lightsaber into the bag. Barriss released a breath she didn't even realise she held.

She then glanced back at the lightsaber she had taken from the guard and began to dismantle it as well. No doubt a second or third lightsaber would come in handy for her or the other Jedi she would find.

Looking into the crate, she found a pair of twin pistols and two holsters. Both were a standard model, though the one difference was both were engraved with half of her hand tattoos on side of the pistol. Rubbing her finger along the engraving, she remembered what her friend had told her. They were two halves of one whole. Letta had splurged and got it for them as a sign of sisterhood – a symbol that they were in this together.

Barriss grabbed another ration bar, trying to focus on the taste. She took another bite of the bar, forcing it down along with the lump in her throat.

She grabbed the comm she had stolen and placed it on her on her belt. She may not have anyone willing to speak with her right now, but having a comm would undoubtedly have its uses.

Barriss placed a spare set of clothing into her bag. The thin robes would barely protect from the cold. However that was one of the benefits of coming from a species that lived on an ice planet. She could swim for hours in icy waters while a snow storm raged and come out without a care in the world.

Grabbing another bar, Barriss stared at it for a second before devouring it. Despite the protests of her stomach to stop. She reminded herself as she swallowed the bar that there were going to be many days in the future where she would beg to be stuffed full of food.

Looking back into the crate, all that was left was a deck of cards and Letta's favourite food. The ones she swore up and down were absolutely necessary for her to survive. Barriss might have been a Jedi, but that didn't mean Letta was. She needed slight comforts that a Jedi wouldn't have even considered.

She smiled to herself, remembering the first time Letta invited her to try her cooking. Her food was to die for. It was one of the things that helped her realize how disconnected the Jedi had become to the people. She had been at many banquets and formal dinners for the most powerful people in the galaxy. However she never had a chance to sit down and eat with a common citizen of the Republic and see how they lived. It was always about what the most powerful people wanted. The Jedi Order had grown too accustomed to the decadence of war.

Taking the deck of cards, Barriss turned away from the crate. Grabbing another bar, Barriss began to eat as she made her way to the door. Using the Force, she pulled the holo device from the floor and placed it in her bag. She flicked the light switch on the wall, heading out of her apartment. She stopped for a moment to look back at the darkened abode, her form silhouetted by the light of the hallway. Releasing a sigh that was becoming all too much of a habit for her, she headed down the partially illuminated hallway.

Whatever the future held, she knew the force was with her.


	2. Ahsoka:Insight

**The masked woman isn't Barriss, stop guessing that. It's not that obvious.**

Chapter 2

Ahsoka looked around; her heartrate was skyrocketing. She was surrounded by three Zabrak males, all of whom were watching her, waiting for her to slip up and reveal even the slightest trace of fear. This was not a situation she had wanted to be in. One wrong move and she would be a dead woman. Straightening her back, Ahsoka stood as tall as she could. "Drell Brood, I presume?"

The older Zabrak eyed her for a moment. He was the most powerful man in the bar. Most of - if not all - the men in the bar worked for him. Given the word he'd have twenty or thirty men opening fire on her. Yet he still took the time to study her. "Hello, I'm Drell Brood. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance," he said with a rasp in his voice. "Here's a tip, kid; Its common courtesy whenever you meet a new person to introduce yourself before speaking to them. It shows a level of class. It also shows that you respect your host. Now you try."

"Hello, I'm Ashla. Please forgive me for my disrespect. I was in a bit of a rush to get here, when I heard that you have a bounty on a Jedi," Ahsoka said. She had been quite shocked when she received an update on the bounty hunting boards that an unknown Jedi had a hit taken out on them.

The older Zabrak looked at her for a moment. She was used to older men leering at her from time to time, but the way he looked at her it made her feel like a Padawan again. He stared at her like one of the masters would, as if he could peer into her very soul. Ahsoka thought about reaching out with the Force and try to find out what he was feeling, but something about him told her that was a bad idea. Did he know she was a Jedi? No that didn't make any sense. Besides being disrespectful to him, she hadn't said or done anything that should tip him off. Heck, being disrespectful would have been a sign she wasn't a Jedi.

"Ah yes the Jedi problem. I'm glad you brought that up. I've already had my men post a bounty on this Jedi, so why have you come here? Surely you didn't already fix my problem?"

"I'm afraid I didn't come here with good news. Your man Dez said I should come here and make my request directly to you," Ahsoka said, taking on a more professional sounding voice. Coming here was reckless, even for her. When she had heard that there was a bounty out for a Jedi, her heart raced for the opportunity to meet another survivor. However coming face to face with high-ranking members of Black Sun was not what she wanted.

"And what exactly has brought you here? It's not often that a bounty hunter would circumvent my junior to meet with me personally. Did you come to negotiate your payment?" Ahsoka shifted her weight. As she began to reply, she was cut off by Drell. "Or did your Master send you here to get more information?"

 _Kriff, he knows I'm a Jedi! How cou–_

"You bounty hunters can be so secretive. Your sell swords. Yet you always act as if you're the fate of the galaxy is on your shoulders. Whoever you're working for should know not to send a hunter-in-training to meet with the Black Sun. Whoever's teaching you must not value manners. None of my regulars are disrespectful enough to send a kid into my bar to negotiate," he said.

 _Thank the Force! He thinks I'm just an errand girl._ Straightening her back, Ahsoka cleared her throat, while trying to put on her best tough guy impression, "I'm not a hunter-in-training. I came out to this system because you've got a Jedi problem. I figure I can make my rep if I could kill the last of the Jedi."

Drell looked at her for a moment as if to say ' _really?_ ' before speaking. "Woah, Woah, woah. Slow your roll there kid. Who said anything about kill? The bounty is for them to be brought in alive, as in 'not dead'. Who said anything about dead?"

Ahsoka had faltered for a moment. _Why wouldn't he want the Jedi dead? Most bounties were for people wanted dead or alive. Why is this any different?_ Looking at the other two Zabraks beside him, they seemed shocked by this revelation as well. "I'm sorry, you don't want them to die?"

"Kid, I lost twenty men to this nutcase and sure I want her dead. But I'm willing to offer the lady a job before I kill her. Jedi are a rare and valued commodity in this day and age," he said. "A single Jedi working with me against the Empire is more than enough."

His words seemed genuine enough, but he also seemed to be hiding something. _Of course, he's hiding something; he's a criminal. Why wouldn't he be hiding something?_ she thought. It was always good to have another friend fighting against the Empire, but working with Black Sun didn't feel right. She didn't need them. She just needed their information. Once she knew what she knew, she'd never need to come back to Nar Shaddaa and deal with him. "We'll I'm just the bounty hunter you need. Dead or alive, I've got your guy. All I need is any holorecordings of what I'm going to be up against," Ahsoka said.

"Holorecordings? No wonder Dez told you to come here. We don't just hand those out to any bounty hunter, especially not one of the regulars," Drell said. "Give me one good reason why I should hand over the recording."

' _Oh, I don't know, because she killed a bunch of your guys,_ ' Ahsoka thought to herself. Then again, handing out the weaknesses of a potential ally didn't make much sense. He was probably going to keep her and any other bounty hunter not on the payroll in the dark about her weaknesses. When a bounty hunter brought her in, the recording with all her abilities and weaknesses would be another bargaining chip in case she needed more of an incentive to join.

"Drell was smart, smart enough to always hold all the power in the situation. If she wanted answers she was going to have to give him a reason to trust her, or make herself a much more valued asset to have. Telling him I'm a Jedi would be the easiest way to end up getting the intel, but also the fastest way to wind up dead. If Anakin was here he might have tried to aggressively negotiate with the man or work out some sort of prisoner exchange for the information. But with neither the fire power nor the resources of the Republic, the best she could do is persuade him with just her wit and charm.

 _Think Ahsoka, think. I want to get the holorecording. He won't give me the holorecording unless I offer him something. I could just say that if he does this for me, I'll be more inclined to work for him in the future, she thought. Ha! Judging by the way he's been calling me kid all night, he probably thinks I've got a snowball's chance in Mustafar. Think! I've got no reputation, I've got zero work experience, and I've got zero leverage with Black Sun. There was just no way for me to get any information unless I reveal was a Jedi. No, there has to be a way to get this info without revealing my past and me owing Black Sun a favor. I have to do the unexpected._

Seeing the bored looks Drell and his men where giving her, it was now or never. "I think I might have away for you to let me see your recording," she said hastily. If she couldn't reveal any information she about herself, she could always call him on his own dealings. "It's obvious that you're keeping the recording to use as leverage, but I've been studying the lightsaber techniques to start hunting this Jedi. I could analyse the data before so you'd have a more in depth knowledge to use in your negotiations, and prove to you I'm not just some punk kid. I get to see what I'm up against and you get to see how valuable another potential asset is."

Brood looked at her, weighed his options then flicked his gaze up at another man across the room. "Kruge, take our new associate to study the recording. Be very thorough, this isn't just a test for her, got it?" The one known as Kruge gave a curt nod before getting up and motioning for her to follow him.

Ahsoka looked around. None of Drell's boys were hanging around them and Kruge wasn't making any obvious signals. As they walked, the lanky man led her up a flight of stairs to a control room on the second floor with a giant window overlooking the entire club. _At least I've got an exit in case this goes south._ Even before going on the run, her time with Anakin had forced her to always have some sort of exit in mind when things inevitably went horribly wrong. A quick leap through the window should have her less than a meter or two away from the entrance. Making her way into the backroom, Kruge offered her a seat on a worn-out couch. While he wandered around for a bit looking for the datachip. After a few minutes of searching for the chip, the Zabrak found it and slid it into the holodisplay on the table. He fiddled around with the device, skipping ahead to the relevant information.

"Here's when the Jedi came by. It was messed up what that freak did to our guys. I've never seen a Jedi do some of that stuff. Gives a guy the chills," Kruge said, shivering from the mere thought of whatever occurred.

The display showed a warehouse area with a few dozen meter-high stacks of boxes and a few workers operating equipment. Barring the few armed guards, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. All of a sudden the lights flickered off and on. A cloaked figure stood atop a pyramid made of several boxes.

The cloaked individual surveyed the crowd of stunned workers; glaring at them through the holes in her mask. All the workers and guards stared in silence, as if a rancor had just entered the hanger. One wrong move and all of these men were as good as dead.

Ahsoka shivered from the holorecording. The feelings in the Force were rushing into her. She could feel the fear and desperation in the workers as the sweat began to firm and trickle slowly down her neck. Whoever that person was, they certainly weren't a Jedi.

The stranger glanced at the camera, as if to taunt whoever was watching the recording, sliver mask marred with scratches. "Attention, as of now, all of your contraband is being seized for a more noble cause. I'm giving you one chance walk out that door and continue to live. If you fail to vacate the premises or foolishly try and stop me, I will kill you." Even with the voice filter on, it couldn't hide the sadistic, condescending tone the masked woman spoke with.

Ahsoka narrowed her eyes, studying every aspect of the figure. Looking at the figure didn't do much to help, the woman was wearing dull grey armour along the torso and thighs, along with armoured gauntlets and boots. It was a long shot but she was hoping that whoever this person was they would be someone she'd seen or at the very least someone she's heard of before.

The temperature plummeted; the workers could see their breath, as objects around them began to shake. Even the men began to quake in their boots. The masked woman took the time to look at each and every worker. She patiently waited for each worker to make eye-contact before moving on to the next. It was as if she enjoyed watching them gaze into the holes in her mask, hoping to find some shred of humanity, only to realize there was none. The trepidation must have been maddening.

A guard trembled in fear, clutching the rifle in his hand for dear life. His palms had begun to sweat. He could feel his heart thump as the pressure began to build. He had felt as if someone had turned off the air supply to the room as he began to gasp for air. He was no coward. He was a war hero for crying out loud! But standing before them was something he'd never seen. One shot was all it would take and it would be over. No fear. No panic. No monster. Before he could raise the blaster to his face, a shot rang out amongst the crowd. A guard screaming like a mad man began to open fire on the masked intruder, screaming as loud as he could, barely missing his target.

It was like a dam broken; as the fear they felt was lifted. The men rallied together as the cloaked woman dodged and weaved through the blaster fire. None knew which among them did it, but somehow they managed to land a hit along her shoulder. This emboldened the men, as they began to yell out to one another to for aid. They spouted out curses as they yelled at her to die. This wasn't some sort of monster - it was flesh and blood.

The woman, for her part, continued to dodge them. At first she was sluggish and caught a bit flat footed. However, as the battle raged on she seemed to get faster and faster. She leaped from box to box, always leaping as soon as both feet touched the ground. The interloper pulled out traditional-looking saberstaff, from their robes. Making their way to the closest exit, the masked woman turned around to face her attackers. Activating the saberstaff, the men began to stop their advance. Even after five years the signature weapon of the Jedi was still a sight to see.

Taking advantage of the pause in the battle, the masked woman jumped into the crowd. Hoisting several men off the ground, and using them as shields as she cut down the workers one at a time. As the herd began to thin and the men began to flee, she separated the saberstaff into two blades. She threw one into the back of a retreating worker, and use it to cut down anyone that got too far away.

She used the Force to drag any of the workers who tried to hide back to her and impale them on her lightsaber. She watch each one of them wither and die. Before throwing them to the ground, apparently not worthy enough to be added to her meat shield, and moving on to the next.

Her other lightsaber continued to hurtle through the air, cutting down worker after worker. While her initial kill with the weapon had lodged itself into the back of a lucky worker, the masked woman seemed more interested in dismemberment. The thrown blade hovered less than a foot off the ground as it began to hobble the workers who had tried to flee from her.

Once the floor was cleared of any living combatants, she dropped her meat shield to the ground. The blaster fire stopped, as the guards on the railing abandoned the fight to search for an exit. It must have been quite a shock to realize that the closest one was now blocked by the stranger that killed half a dozen of their crew.

Calling back the lightsaber from the back of one of the cowards, the stranger planted both feet shoulder width apart. Raised one arm diagonally inward and the other pointed downward. The men soon began to fire, hoping that they'd get lucky and kill whoever this person was.

With the arrival of new blaster fire she spun around, going through her kata, blocking and redirecting all the shots until only one of the men was left. Reconnecting the blades, the masked woman deactivated the lightsaber as she spun around to face the lone survivor, pulling the man from the railing towards her in a single fluid motion.

The guard gasped for air, clawing at the invisible hand around his throat. The woman pulled him closer to her, with the Force keeping him a few feet off the ground. The masked woman began talking to him. Whatever they were saying was too quiet for the recorder to pick up, but the man began to gesture to some large crates on the far end of the warehouse. She dropped the man to the ground and began to walk towards the crate. As the man picked himself off the ground, he managed to get maybe four feet before his neck was twisted at an unnatural angle.

"And that's pretty much it," Kruge said. "After that she loads up the crates on to her ship, and sets fire to the product before she flies away."

"Can I get a look at the ship?" Ahsoka asked.

"All I can tell you that it's a type-C freighter, other than that, nothing. You were called in here to analyse the fighter, not the freighter," he said lazily.

 _Is he telling me that so I don't look further in the tape or to keep any information to their organiszation?_ Judging by Drell's last comment to the guy, it could be either-or. Kruge was being tested. He might be more careful as part of his test. Looking at the security camera at the top of the room, she wondered if Drell was watching them now.

Pressing the issue was not going to work for whatever reason he wasn't going to budge on the matter if she insisted. Taking her mind off the recording she thought of the masked woman. She wasn't a Jedi; no Jedi would have fought like that. The savage ruthlessness was like nothing she had seen in a long time. This was a darkside user on par with Maul. Ahsoka felt a pit begin to form in her stomach. All the darksiders she and the Jedi fought were either knowingly or unknowingly servants of Palpetine. Whoever this mystery woman was, she was working with the Empire.

So far all she knew of the Empire's Force sensitives were that they hunted Jedi. Had there been so few Jedi after the purge that they were using the Inquisitors for black ops? Or was this just another branch of the Empire who also employed Force users? Thinking about it made her call into question what little information she did have on the Empire. Heck, she didn't even know if this was the Empire for sure.

Ahsoka took a deep breath. Panicking wasn't going to help her. _All the darksiders I've fought were working for Palpetine. Plus it wouldn't make sense for a new darkside to emerge, because Palpetine would stomp them out. Any third party would have to go into hiding or they'd die. Any and all information of a third party's existence would have to be erased. Meaning it had to be the Empire. So them leaving behind a tape of them killing a ton of people wouldn't have been an accident;_ she looked directly into the camera. This wasn't a random attack, this was statement. The Empire wanted them to know that this was the power of a single agent. That's why the camera was left intact.

The knot in her gut told her that she went wrong somewhere. If this was an Imperial agent, why wouldn't they be have worn an Imperial insignia on their armour? Why would she have tried to not fight? Unless the Empire wasn't looking for a fight. It was a false-flag operation. The Inquisitor was sent to scare them and steal from them, so they'd run to the Empire for protection. Any rival gang or third party wouldn't care about killing, but if the Empire was after having Black Sun working for them they'd have to have enough of their people alive to make it worth it.

However, that still left the crate of unknown goods. The Empire didn't care about the drugs. They seemed to be only interested in the crate. If she stayed on Nar Shaddaa she might be able to provide protection for Black Sun and draw out the agent, but an organization as large as Black Sun had bases all around the Outer Rim. Watching one warehouse wouldn't get her anywhere.

"Are you done thinking over there?" Kruge asked. "We're not paying you to sit around. We're paying you to do a job."

"Firstly, you're not paying me anything yet. Second of all, yes, I am done. The Jedi was using the Jarkai variant to the first form of lightsaber combat. It's built for crowd control and is taught to all beginners. After that she used it again for blast defection. She's a Padawan who's taken what little she does know to the highest level," Ahsoka said.

Thinking about her more, she's got Force augmented speed and enough training in the mind trick to make an entire crowd feel fear. Her telekinesis is strong, but nothing to write home about for her age. She can lift a grown man off the ground from a few meters away without accidentally killing him.

"Good eye, some of our more trusted specialists said the same thing," he said. "Drell's going to be happy he's taking a chance with you."

Speaking of Drell, did he already know that this wasn't a Jedi? Judging by his restraint and the wisdom in his eye something told her he'd had a feeling this wasn't a Jedi. He wasn't offering her a job. He was trying to kill the Inquisitor. He was using the Empire's hatred of Force sensitives against them. Tricky bastard, since this is black ops having a bounty hunter kill a rogue Jedi couldn't get them into trouble and it would allow them to fight back, while also letting them play dumb.

Then why let her see the tapes? _If he thought I was a bounty hunter, bringing me here would have me bring the "Jedi" to him, no questions asked. If he thought I was an Imperial agent he thinks that I think that he has or wants a Jedi on his payroll and that I'd send an Inquisitor after him to hunt down the other Force sensitives he might have. Unless that was also part of his plan._ Drell would be able to feed the Empire false news for weeks while fighting his shadow war. All Black Sun would have to do is send out the word that any Force sensitive that wants a job gets placed on suicide missions until their luck runs out. Killing agents and keeping their attention where he wants it.

Getting out of Black Sun's way would have to become a top priority for her. This shadow war was too big for her, and with everyone involved having being so secretive, she didn't really have time to decode who knows what. Bail would have to send someone here who could learn about Black Sun and this war with the Empire they were having.

"Getting up from the chair, Ahsoka walked with Kruge. "I've gotten all I can. Tell Mr. Brood I'm extremely grateful for the opportunity to work for him," she said before heading for the back door of the club.

"Wait kid. Before you go there is something you should know. The Jedi had taken slaves from us. That's what was in the crate. If you're going to have any luck in tracking them down, that's going to be you're first clue. You've got some good insights, and I can see there's a brain in that head of yours, so stay safe and bring that guy in," he said trying to act cool. "Oh and if Drell asked, I didn't tell you that."

Ahsoka gave a curt nod before heading out. Slaves changed everything. If it had been drugs or spice, Ahsoka would have let this pass, but lives were on the line she had to save them. This was going to be a long day.

"Kruge returned to his seat in the bar. Drell looked up from his drink with an expectant look. "She said what the others said about the Force users. Nothing new, but she didn't comment on her Force powers. I didn't let her have free reign and didn't give her any information she couldn't have figured out." Taking a moment to gather his courage, Kruge was about to speak when Drell interrupted.

"You're wondering when we changed from murdering her to offering her a job." Taking a swig of his beer, he looked up to the boy smirking. "You've got a long way to go if you want to be a captain, my boy. Tell me what kind of bounty hunter has worn out armour that has dozens of scratches and dents, but not a single scorch mark from a blaster? That kid's a Jedi. No doubt about it. I sent Dez to have one of the regulars tail her. Once she does her duty as a Jedi thing and fights the rogue one, of the regulars will swoop in, explain everything, and give "Ashla" the job offer."

"What if she refuses?" Kruge asked.

"Drell looked at him. "The regulars been given instruction if she refuses. They're to bag her up and bring her to us to have some negotiations." Thinking back to their talk, he observed all the twitches and ticks as she was speaking. A picture was starting to form in his head. This Padawan was late in her training when the Jedi coup happened, and was off world with her Master when the master was killed. Now here she was a Padawan on the cusp of being a knight just trying to survive. The universe had just gift wrapped the best kind of Jedi, desperate, alone, and oh so very moldable. "Joining Black Sun will be the best thing the kid's been though in the last five years. We may not be the Jedi, but we can give her normalcy, stability, and a place to come back to."

"What about the Empire? They're still hunting Jedi." Kruge said. This new turn must have been really getting to him. Normal guards and police were one thing, but the fleet of the Empire was another thing.

"To Kruge's credit, this was both an added bonus and complete disaster. On one hand, a fugitive Jedi would be a powerful tool. On the other hand, the Empire might come to their doorstep because of her. On the other other hand, she was a Padawan. Even the most promising Padawan is still just a Padawan. "Relax Kruge, the Empire is still busy searching for Masters and Knights. One lowly Padawan would go unnoticed. Nobody is going to haul an entire Star Destroyer all the way to the Outer Rim for a single Padawan. Plus, if they do come knocking, all we have to do is claim we had no idea she was a Jedi. Now go and tell prophet there's been a change of plans."

Drell watched the boy leave, before tending back to his drink. Selling out a nice kid like her didn't really seem fair, but then again, life wasn't fair. He'd do what he could for the kid, but when her time was up… her time would be up.


End file.
